Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Trapshooters have PITA shoot

At Blaine County Gun Club up Ohio Gulch

---

About 20 trapshooters kicked off the local competition season Saturday during a Pacific International Trapshooting Association (PITA) shoot at Blaine County Gun Club in Ohio Gulch between Hailey and Ketchum.

The Ben Hurtig Singles division was a 200-target singles shoot from the 16-yard line. High overall singles shooter was AA class member Jim Maughan with a 195 (98-97), including four perfect strings of 25 targets.

Leading AA marksmen in the Ben Hurtig were Ted Schlecht 192, Jim Kuntz 186 and Kent Harris 180. Best A shooters were Idaho PITA president Wayne Pickerell 191, Juan Goitiandia 189 and Raymond Cullinane 169.

Gene Goold shot 185 to lead the B division that included Pete Miller 181, Harold Ward 181, James Stover 177, Ralph Maughan 173 and Earl Ward 173. Top Class D shooters were Lynn Nelson 184 and David Martin 167.

Also contested in Saturday’s PITA shoot was the Gary and Mari McStay Handicap—100 targets ranging from 20 yards to the maximum 27 yards.

Top long-yardage shooters were Ted Schlecht 89, Jim Kuntz 89, Jim Maughan 88, Kent Harris 82 and Harold Ward 82.

Medium-yardage handicap shooters were Earl Ward 91, Juan Goitiandia 87, Raymond Cullinane 84, William Kyes 81, Wayne Pickerell 81, David Martin 77 and Tharan Cook 76.

The short-yardage shooters were Gene Goold 92, James Stover 83, Pete Miller 82, Lynn Nelson 81 and Ralph Maughan 81. Top Lady was Pauline Cook with a 61 from the 20-yard-line.

Operating hours at Colvin’s Clay Sports at Blaine County Gun Club are Wednesdays through Sundays from 12 noon to 5 p.m. through today, June 9, then Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. starting June 16.

Blaine County Gun Club now has the only electronic counter system in Idaho, which makes for self-paced play, according to co-owner Jennifer Colvin. It means you can shoot as much or as little as you want, she said.

The gun club (788-2681) offers trap, five-stand, sporting clays and skeet. Coming up are the National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) 200-target, one-day Sun Valley Open Saturday, June 19, and the Idaho State Five-Stand Championship featuring 400 targets over two days July 17-18.

The "Elmer’s Hunting Adventure," sporting clays league with no-view targets started May 26 at Blaine County Gun Club and will continue each Wednesday through June 30. Shoot as early as noon, with the last squad to start by 7 p.m. Cost is $90 for 50 targets—and membership is not required to join the league.

This coming weekend, the 2004 Idaho State PITA Trapshoot will be held at the Mountain Home Air Force Base Trap & Skeet Range. Dates are Friday through Sunday, June 11-13. There will be 800 registered PITA targets, and voice pulls will be used.

 

Bellevue gun club

Meanwhile, Wood River Gun Club (788-2778) three miles south of Bellevue will start its summer doubles league Tuesday, June 22. It will meet each Tuesday night for five weeks.

Wood River Gun Club will have its annual Fun Shoot Aug. 21-22, then the first annual Alan and Diane Johnson Memorial Fund shoot will be held later in the summer.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.